The kitchen and dining hall at Union Central on Washington Avenue were a flurry of activity last Saturday, as Becker County 4-H members came together to bake holiday treats and assemble fleece tie blankets for the new men's Compassion House.

Residents of Union Central were invited to join the festivities. By the end of the day, the youth, assisted by adult volunteers, had made several dozen sugar cookies, a quadruple batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms, four packages of dipped pretzel rods, Spritz, several sheets of Lefse and Swedish Flatbread.

The holiday treats were later served to patrons at the Holiday Magic event at the Washington Square Mall.

Bailey Yliniemi from the Northern Lights Club was awarded a Helping Hands Grant to purchase fleece for the blankets. Wal-Mart also contributed, and as a result, the youth will be donating a dozen man-sized fleece blankets to the Compassion House.

Becker County 4-H members are honored to be able to serve the community through these efforts.